The present invention relates to a jewelry holding apparatus and, more particularly, to a flat flexible sheet apparatus for holding pierced earrings.
Throughout the years of recorded history, men and women have been eager to possess and use ornamental jewelry about their clothing and person. Earrings in particular have been used by both sexes, and still are for reasons that are both varied and ornamental. As a result of the attractiveness of the use of earrings, many people, particularly women, have acquired fairly large collections of earrings for the pleasure of variety.
Earrings for pierced ears are, perhaps, the more popular form of earrings worn currently, typically by women. Such earrings include an exposed ornamental design which may include a precious stone or metal, and a back having a post or thin elongated shaft extending therefrom. The post is inserted through a previously pierced hole in the ear lobe and, thereafter, held in position in the ear by a retainer which is slid onto the post behind the ear lobe. Most individuals who wear jewelry of this type gradually acquire a collection of different styles and designs of pierced earrings, and then require a container in which to keep the collection while at home and to transport the jewelry while traveling or on vacation.
Most conventional jewelry containers available simply provide a cavity, box, or drawer into which the jewelry may be placed. Unfortunately, finding a matching pair of earrings with the associated retainers is very difficult when the jewelry is all stored together, particularly in a single cavity. Additionally, viewing the collection of earrings to find a pair which best accessorize the current outfit of the user is also very difficult when the jewelry is all stored and jumbled together. It would be desirable, then, to have a jewelry storage apparatus which could store earrings as individual pairs, and display the collection.
One attempt to overcome these problems is to compartmentalize the jewelry container. However, the compartments tend to be quite large, in order to be versatile enough to hold various sized pieces of jewelry in a compartment, such as a decorative pin, bracelet, necklace, ring, or pair of earrings. Consequently, numerous items of jewelry, especially smaller items such as earrings, are stored in a single compartment. The jewelry items in each compartment then strike each other, and can scratch or bend. It would be desirable, then, to have a jewelry storage and display apparatus which avoids striking and scratching of the jewelry.
In general, the desiderata have not been achieved in any of the jewelry storage means of the prior art. It is seen then that there exists a need for an apparatus which will be particularly suitable for holding earrings both for display and storage which will avoid scratching of the jewelry and separation of one of a pair of earrings from the other of the pair during storage, and will enable the user to view substantially all of the contents of the container.